BF Exclusive: 1962 Morris Mini Cooper 997

• Seller: Jesse M ortensen (Contact)
• Location: Boise, Idaho
• Mileage: 39,535 Shown
• Chassis #: K-A2S4L-281243
• Title Status: Clean
• Engine: 997cc Inline-4 Cylinder
• Transmission: 4-Speed Close Ratio Manual

The time has come to part ways with our Mini Cooper. It was a fun project to undertake and is an even more fun car to drive. When it came to us, it had been off the road for 40+ years and had a ton of unknowns. We ended up having to do more work than expected to get it safe to drive, but after 4 years of hard work, we have it back on the road, and it was well worth the work. We’ve had our fun with it and a new project has just arrived at BF HQ, so we are offering our Mini Cooper right here as a Barn Finds Exclusive! So, if you’d love to have it, feel free to make us an offer. It’s located in Boise, Idaho, and comes with a clean title and a Heritage Certificate.

Finding a classic Mini isn’t all that difficult, but finding an early left-hand drive Cooper is a completely different story. So, when this one popped up for sale as part of a package deal with two Lotuses, we just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to experience it. Unfortunately, when it arrived, it was rougher than expected. The body wasn’t too bad, but the interior was dirty, it wouldn’t run, and someone had rattle-canned part of the engine with Ford Blue spray paint. Once we determined that the body was solid, we decided to drop the engine to service and repaint it. There were more than a few hurdles along the way, but you can read about all of that here.

Once the engine was back in the car, getting it running went smoothly. We did our best to retain as many original parts as possible. A big part of what makes an early Cooper special is all of the unique parts that John Cooper Works used on these cars. The 997cc inline-four is incredibly unique, as far as BMC A-Series engines go, and runs wonderfully. It has healthy oil pressure, runs cool, and makes decent power. Mechanically, the car is ready to drive. There are a few things that could still use work, though. The temperature gauge isn’t accurate, the speedometer reads fast, and the ignition light stays on. We’ve checked the engine temperature with an external sensor, and it runs within the correct operating range. We aren’t sure why the ignition light is on, but the alternator is generating power. And there is some rust showing on the bottoms of the doors and in the driver’s side rear fender liner.

While the interior was dirty upon arrival, the seats and major components were in decent condition. The carpet had obviously been replaced with house carpet, so we installed a new carpet set from Newton Commercial. The seats and vinyl panels were cleaned and treated with vinyl protector. The car has a tachometer installed on the steering column, but it isn’t wired up yet. The aftermarket steering wheel looks great and has the correct style Morris horn button. All of the door and side window seals have been replaced, so the car seals up nicely. Now that the interior is cleaned up, it’s a comfortable and fun place to be. Included with the car are new gaskets and trim for the windshield and rear glass, as well as a new trunk gasket.

Since we wanted to drive this Mini on the street, we installed new wheels and tires. The original Cooper wheels and center caps are included with the car, plus other original spare parts. It really is a fun little car, and while it isn’t perfect, it’s nice enough to enjoy as is. It gets a ton of attention everywhere it goes, with lots of positive comments about how original yet clean it looks. If you really wanted to take it to the next level, you could, but if we were to keep it, we would leave it alone cosmetically and just drive it. We would just focus on fixing the gauges, installing a hotter ignition system, and putting as many miles on it as we could! Let us know if you have any questions in the comment section.